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Operation Tears of the Sun
Operation: Tears of the Sun was an Everetti military special forces operation jointly conducted with the Nigerian government. On May 3, 2014, the Union of Everett authorized limited assistance to the Nigerian military following a request by the government for aid in tracking and locating nearly 250 missing schoolgirls, kidnapped by Islamist radical terror group Boko Haram. Operation Tears of the Sun, named for a movie which took place in Nigeria and followed a Navy Seal team conducting a rescue operation, primarily is authorized to provide strategic planning and training assistance to Nigerian army troops taking part in the search for the missing girls. The Union of Everett Militant Forces were deployed to conduct that role and also provide aerial drone and HAD series drone search and rescue assistance for a rapid scan of the hundreds of miles of heavy jungle in the region. Background On the night of April 14-15th 2014, approximately 276 female students were kidnapped from the Government Secondary School in the town of Chibok in Borno State, Nigeria. The kidnappings were claimed by Boko Haram, an Islamic Jihadist and Takfiri terrorist organisation based in northeast Nigeria. The group of militants attacked the Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok, Nigeria, breaking into the school, shooting the guards and killing one soldier. A large number of students were taken away in trucks, possibly into the Konduga area of the Sambisa Forest where Boko Haram were known to have fortified camps. Houses in Chibok were also burnt down in the incident. The children were aged 16 to 18 and were in their final year of school. Over the April 19-20th weekend, the Nigerian military released a statement that said more than 100 of 129 kidnapped girls had been freed. However, the statement was retracted, and on April 21st, parents said 234 girls were missing. A number of the students escaped the kidnappers in two groups. According to the police approximately 276 children were taken in the attack of which 53 had escaped by May 2nd. The Nigerian military and local authorities, lacking the resources necessary to locate the abducted girls and to effectively combat the growing Boko Haram threat in the region called on for international assistance on May 1st. The Union of Everett State Department responded to the situation and approval for limited military operations was approved by the Everetti Advisory Council and President Spencer. The students are allegedly being forced into Islam and into marriage with members of Boko Haram, with a reputed "bride price" of ₦2,000 each (EV$6.25). Many of the students were taken to the neighboring countries of Chad and Cameroon, with sightings reported of the students crossing borders with the militants, and sightings of the students by villagers living in the Sambisa Forest. The forest is considered a refuge for Boko Haram. Local residents have been able to track the movements of the students with the help of contacts across north eastern Nigeria. Two days after the first teams of Everetti military personnel arrived in Nigeria, a video in which Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau claimed responsibility for the kidnappings emerged. Shekau claimed that, "Allah instructed me to sell them...I will carry out his instructions." and "Slavery is allowed in my religion, and I shall capture people and make them slaves." He said the girls should not have been in the school and instead they should be married since girls as young as nine are suitable for marriage. Following the kidnapping incident, Boko Haram again abducted eight girls aged between 12–15 from northeast Nigeria. Operations On May 3rd, the Union of Everett Militant Forces were deployed into northern Nigeria following an approved request from the Nigerian government for assistance. A team of thirty special forces soldiers from the Militant Forces, arrived in the northern town of Chibok to assist local police and Nigerian military in investigating the mass kidnapping the took place. Militant Forces personnel provided immediate deployment of aerial reconnaissance to track down and locate the girls and kidnappers, supplying of local civilian militia with protection and arms, and training and assisting Nigerian police and military with weapons, tactics and strategies for rescue operations. Between May 3rd and May 5th, Militant Forces teams used aerial drones and HAD series droids to search and map the northeastern region of Nigeria. On May 5th, the teams in Chibok responded to calls for help in the neighboring town of Gamboru Ngala after Boko Haram militants attacked the town and began to slaughter its residents. Militant Forces troops deployed into the town by helicopters 15 minutes into the attack by Boko Haram and engaged the terrorist group in a large fire fight. After 45 minutes of armed combat, Boko Haram attackers retreated, sustaining heavy losses. One Militant Forces soldier was seriously wounded and airlifted to a hospital in southern Nigeria. The Militant Forces team killed 53 Boko Haram members, wounded 30 more and captured four others unharmed. The town however suffered civilian casualties, murdered by Boko Haram attackers, killing over 100 civilians and wounding dozens of others. On May 6th, additional special forces teams arrived and two dozen private military contractors, as well as a small team of unidentified soldiers. UAVs scanning the northern jungles of Nigeria and the borders of Chad and Cameroon located a large encampment of armed men and cargo trucks. HAD series droids deployed into the area had confirmed locating a group of at least 100 Boko Haram militants and identified at least a dozen teen-aged females. On the evening of May 6th, into the early night hours of May 7th, special forces teams consisting of the Union of Everett Militant Forces, private contractors, Nigerian soldiers and ERTF agents launched a coordinated raid on the encampment near the border with Chad. The initial assault caught the Boko Haram militants off guard and ended within five minutes, killing 80 Boko Haram fighters and wounded another 15. The Nigerian government reported a successful recovery of 54 of the abducted girls. On the evening of May 10th, Everetti special forces teams engaged a suspicious convoy of trucks attempting to cross the Nigerian border into Cameroon. A shootout between the Everetti special forces team and three dozen armed militants ensued, lasting approximately five minutes. The suspects were identified as Boko Haram members. 32 bodies were recovered and three other wounded were taken into custody. The State Department confirmed ten teen-aged females were also recovered and identified as some of the missing abduction victims, who were later returned to their parents. Earlier the same day, the Militant Forces had identified a Boko Haram camp 15 miles north of Chibok. Droid surveillance confirmed no presence of kidnapping victims nor other civilians and the site was hit by an airstrike from an SF-22 Raptor II fighter. See Also For similar Everetti military actions in Africa: *Operation Black Friday *Operation Cpt. Sparrow Category:Union of Everett Category:Events